- Notable Alain de Botton Quotes Index -

I passionately believe that's it's not just what you say that counts, it's also how you say it - that the success of your argument critically depends on your manner of presenting it. - Alain de Botton

2.

I'm also interested in the modern suggestion that you can have a combination of love and sex in a marriage - which no previous society has ever believed. - Alain de Botton

3.

Status anxiety definitely exists at a political level. Many Iraqis were annoyed with the US essentially for reasons of status: for not showing them respect, for humiliating them. - Alain de Botton

4.

The Arab-Israeli conflict is also in many ways a conflict about status: it's a war between two peoples who feel deeply humiliated by the other, who want the other to respect them. Battles over status can be even more intractable than those over land or water or oil. - Alain de Botton

5.

We may seek a fortune for no greater reason than to secure the respect and attention of people who would otherwise look straight through us. - Alain de Botton

6.

What is fascinating about marriage is why anyone wants to get married. - Alain de Botton